


Reunion

by Nova_Kaiser



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-01
Updated: 2019-12-01
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:34:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 12,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21633016
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nova_Kaiser/pseuds/Nova_Kaiser
Summary: One year after the war, Dimitri, the new King of Faerghus, organizes a ceremony to commemorate the end of the war. For Felix, this is the first time he will get to see his classmates since the war ended, including her.
Relationships: Annette Fantine Dominic/Felix Hugo Fraldarius/Sylvain Jose Gautier/Mercedes von Martritz
Kudos: 8





	1. Chapter 1

It has been nearly a year since the war had ended. Felix roamed endlessly in the halls of the Fraldarius House, not knowing what to do of his time. During those 5 years of constant battle, he kept himself occupied with every coming battle, but now that it's over, he had nothing to do. No matter how many times he trained, time never seemed to pass as quickly as it once did.

The walls echoed his footsteps wherever he went, empty of any other sound. The same halls in which he used to play with Glenn were nothing but cold and empty now. The same table in which he shared meals with his father were nothing but a constant reminder of what had occurred. No matter where he ran to, everything reminded him of what his life once was. Though the reality was harsh, he accepted and embraced it without any doubt.

At night, when he would close his eyes, he would often see the battlefields in which he fought. Where foes and allies alike fought to their deaths, their screams still resonate through his head. Those nightmares quickly vanished, as they only lasted a few months.

Now, whenever Felix closed his eyes, he would see her soft smile. The smile who showed him so much kindness over those 5 years. He never wished to see that smile fade, though it has been months since he last saw her. On his long journeys to the capital, Felix often hummed the songs she sang for him, always hoping that she would be waiting there. He was never upset to see that she wasn't there- after all, the only time he ever traveled to the capital was for important business with Dimitri, the new King. Though their relationship has been rather poor prior to this new era of peace, working together to build a better world has brought them closer. Felix no longer hates to see Dimitri's face, but is rather content with seeing his friend pull himself together.

Sitting in front of a fire, Felix smiled as he remembered all those who he held dear.

Tomorrow, he had to depart for Fhirdiad once more. King Dimitri was holding festivities for the nearing 1 year anniversary of the end of the war, where everyone who fought courageously would be present. Including her. Felix was happy that he would finally be able to see her again, even if it was for a short amount of time. That night, he dreamt of her again. Her smile, her laughter, her voice... Felix never understood why she was always in his thoughts. Whenever he thought of her, his chest would feel heavy and his face warm. It wasn't an uncomfortable feeling, yet he didn't understand it.

The next morning, Felix woke up earlier than he had hoped for, but it didn't seem to bother him. He quickly got dressed and had breakfast, packed what he needed for the journey and headed out. Riding his father's horse always reminded him of when they would head out to Fhirdiad when he was young. Though, he was more than thankful, that Dimitri didn't plan this out during the winter. The harsh and cold winters of Faerghus were hard, especially during storms. Those cold, long nights where he spent all his time alone, getting used to being alone weren't easy for Felix. Even if he was a lone wolf, he was still not used to having all of House Fraldarius to himself. He thought, sometimes, if only he could share those nights with her...

Even throughout his way to the capital, he couldn't stop thinking about her. Not even the thought of Sylvain being scolded by Ingrid or Dimitri accidentally breaking a cup of glass could make him think of anything else.

It took about 5 days to travel to Fhirdiad, with peace now restored, the journey was rather easy. The people of Fhirdiad looked happy and healthy, the market place was lively, just how Felix remembered it from all those years ago, before what happened in Duscur. Felix faintly smiled, thinking that all this is due to how Dimitri ruled the land.

Marching on, he arrived in front of the Castle, where the Royal Guards greeted him as "Duke Fraldarius", Felix never really liked that title. After entering the Royal Home, he went straight to the War Council Room, where he was sure to meet Dimitri. Just as expected, he was there and greeted him with a soft smile,

"Ah, Felix! I was wondering when you would arrive." said Dimitri, holding out his hand to his companion.

"I'm not late, am I? I'd hate to miss all the fun." exclaimed Felix, shaking Dimitri's hand

"Quite the opposite, you're the first to arrive."

"Isn't that cur-"

Felix's words were cut off by Sylvain entering the room, exclaiming;

"Well, isn't this a pleasant surprise? Felix and Dimitri finally are getting along!"

"Hmph, we've been on good terms for some time now, idiot.", grunted Felix.

"Aww, c'mon! It's the first time you see me in a while and the first thing you do is call me an idiot? Some things really do never change.", Sylvain cheerfully said, embracing Dimitri and Felix.

"Heh, it's nice to see you after so long, Sylvain. The others shouldn't be here for a few more hours, how about we go in the garden in the meantime?", the young King asked, still smiling.

"Count me in.", "Sure, I have nothing else to do.", expressed his two friends.

They walked towards the Royal Garden, talking about all the things they've done as children, remembering how times were so much simpler back then. Now, in the Garden, they sat at a small table, all facing each other, having a cup of tea.

"Well, this brings back memories, doesn't it?" Sylvain amusingly said, sipping on his tea.

"It certainly does. By the way, Dimitri, will the Professor be here?"

"Sadly, no. He told me he could not make it, since The Monastery is far from being operable again."

There was a short silence before Sylvain broke it off,

"Heh, it's funny to think how far we've come. I mean, look at us. We're all important people for Faerghus now. Well, all of Fodlan actually."

"Yes... I must say, I never really do get used to being called "King Dimitri". It all sounds so... unrealistic."

"Personally, I'm getting pretty used to being called "Margrave Gautier". It has a nice sound to it. What about you, Duke Fraldarius?"

"Felix is just fine as is, Sylvain."

"Ahh, but it's Margrave Gautier now. C'mon, did you forget how to use formalities?"

The trio laughed, well, more like Dimitri and Sylvain laughed, while Felix only slightly chuckled.

The long-time friends chatted for hours on end, seemingly never running out of things to talk about.

In the early evening, Dimitri noticed a pair approaching them. One of the two waved and called out "We're back, your Majesty!" Felix and Sylvain turn around, only to see Dedue and Ingrid walk towards them, fully armored.

"My apologies, our mission took longer than expected, your Majesty."

"Ah, it's no problem, Dedue. Please, take a seat. You too, Ingrid."

The two of them sat down, and greeted the Nobles. Felix, shocked, asked;

"Mission? I didn't know you were a Royal Knight, Ingrid."

"Yes, well, I only recently started serving under his Majesty's service. We were merely stopping a group of bandits just outside the city."

"Ahhh, so that would make you two General Dedue and I suppose you would now be Count Galatea, huh?"

"No, I refused the title of Count and instead decided to serve as a Royal Knight for House Blaiddyd."

"Hm, that's a surprise. Yet, I expected it." chuckled Felix, sipping on his tea

"She is well fit for the role, I am content that she serves his Majesty." nodded Dedue, with a slight smile

The gang once again talked for hours and hours, talking about their hard felt battles and joyful moments alike. Felix never once seemed bored of the conversation, he was rather happy to finally spend some time with those he cared for, in peaceful times. It was something he had wished for.

As the sun fell and the dark of the night arose, the group decided to go rest. Felix walked to the guest room he would be staying in for the night, recalling all the nights he spent in there whenever he stayed in Fhirdiad for several days.

The young Duke laid on his back, facing the ceiling and all he could think of, for some reason, was her again. He tried to think nothing of it, but it was too hard. Opening his eyes, he softly let out, "Annette..."


	2. Nightmare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a long trip to Fhirdiad, Felix finally tries to get some rest, but then...

_Felix ran through the battlefield, cutting down Imperial soldiers without hesitation. His strikes were quick and steady, none of them stood a chance against him. He had grown used to the screams and pleads of his enemies, he now simply ignored them. No matter how much he blocked out those sounds, he couldn't stop himself from hearing this agonizing scream behind him. It sounded similar... too similar. Felix slowly realized who let out that awful cry, and dreadfully turned around. There he could see it. He could see who it was. He was terrified at the sight..._

_It was one of his allies. The blood red splats across her white dress, the open wound tore her orange coat apart... Annette slowly fell to her knees, quickly losing consciousness. Felix froze in place, but quickly snapped out of once he had realized just how dire the situation was. He rushed to her, screaming her name over and over. He couldn't see anything besides her collapsing body, his sight was focused on her. Felix completely ignored everything around him. It could have cost him his life, but at this moment, he didn't care. He could feel his eyes water up, but pushed on to her side regardless. He quickly got down on his knees and flipped her Annette over, holding her in his arms. He lifted up his head after a few seconds and started calling out for help. He screamed Mercedes's name over and over, in hopes that she would rush to their side to help them... but she was nowhere in sight. Felix frantically looked around, and to his horror, no one was there. Everyone seemed to have vanished... friends and foes alike._

_He put his head against Annette's chest, and to his relief she was still breathing. He called out;_

_"Annette? Can you hear me?"_

_The young lady seemed to hear him, but she didn't respond._

_"Annette! It's me, Felix! Stay with me!"_

_Annette tilted her head to the side, trying to open her eyes, she whimpered in pain._

_"Fe... lix?"_

_Felix held on to her tightly, unable to let go of her._

_"Felix... w-... why does it hurt... so much? Why is... everything so cold?... I'm... I'm scared..."_

_"It's gonna be alright, Annette. Help is on the way... you'll be alright." he lied, biting his lips. He didn't want her to know no one was going to help her._

_She coughed a few times while opening her eyes, tears rolling down her face. She lifted up her hand and tried to reach Felix's cheek._

_"Don't... go..." she whispered, clinging on to life._

_Felix grabbed her hand and held it tightly._

_"I'm not going anywhere, I promise..."_

_Annette forced a smile, trying to hold on to speak to him despite the horrible pain, she held back his hand_

_"F... Felix... I..." before she finished what she was saying, her eyes closed themselves and her head layed itself back against Felix's arm. Her hand wasn't holding on to his anymore._

_Felix looked down in silence, as a single tear rolled down his cheek._

The young Duke woke up in a cold sweat, panting and distressed, he looked desperately everywhere around him. It took him a few seconds to realize he was still in the guest bedroom, and that he just had a nightmare. He sat up on his bed, trying to regain his breath, grabbing a towel to dry off the sweat on his face. That nightmare, he had seen it before. He tried remembering when he first saw it...

"That nightmare... it was..." he took a moment to think, and mumbled to himself, "...it was when she and I..."

He remembered now. The first time he had that nightmare, it was when Mercedes and Annette treated his wounds. That night, Mercedes ran around camp, trying to attend to everyone's wounds with Annette's aid. The pair treated every soldier, Annette hummed a soft song to calm them while Mercedes took care of their injuries. When his turn came, the pale haired, kindhearted girl he called a friend looked at him and said;

"Oh, dear. You have quite the injury right there, Felix. I'm not sure how I'll treat this one."

She looked troubled, yet she still softly smiled at him.

"Oh, c'mon, Mercie! Of course you can do it!"

The two friends looked at each other and laughed. Annette turned to Felix and exclaimed;

"You need to be more careful, you know!"

Felix sighed and said;

"If I want someone to give me a speech, I'll go talk to Ingrid."

"You're hopeless, Felix."

Mercedes giggled as she kept treating Felix's wounds. Felix looked up at Annette and their eyes met. They looked at each other for what seemed like an eternity, and yet... he didn't mind it. He had never noticed how beautiful her eyes were. He was simply mesmerized.

Mercedes had noticed the pair's stare, and playfully said;

"Should I be going?"

The two snapped out of it and blushed, realizing what just happened.

Annette was too flustered to properly excuse herself, yet this amused her friend.

"I...um, right! I had to hum songs! I remember now, haha..."

She looked down at the ground and started humming one of the songs she composed with Felix, during their last conversation. Felix's eyes widened as he noticed the song.

A few minutes later, Mercedes stood up and said;

"All done! You're going to need some rest and you should be good to go."

Felix looked up at her, then at his now patched up wounds and exclaimed;

"... Thanks."

He looked back up to show a grateful smile at Mercedes, but he instead accidentally met Annette's eyes again. He quickly looked away, blushing again.

Felix chuckled, thinking of those events. He looked outside of the bedroom's window and it was still completely pitch black. The young man tossed aside the towel and laid down in bed again, thinking of that awful nightmare again. He grunted and whispered to himself;

"I'll never allow anything like that to happen to her... I can't lose her too..."

He closed his eyes and fell back asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, I might revisit a few of these chapters later on, but I'm still proud of this one.


	3. A Shared Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Felix's long, troubled night, an unsuspected visit comes by...

Felix was woken up by the sound of chirping birds outside of his window. He slowly got out of bed and started getting dressed. He thought of that same nightmare from last night, he hated everything about it. He loathed the very thought of losing someone else and he was more than thankful that no other nightmare followed. As he was getting dressed, he sat down on his bed to put on his boots, still lost in thought. He couldn't get that awful image of Annette's lifeless body in his arms, no matter how much he tried to forget about it. After a few seconds of just standing still, trying to shake that image out of his head, he lifted his head up, looking at his reflection in a mirror.

He stood up, intrigued, and looked at himself for a few seconds. With his hair down, Felix noticed he resembled Glenn a lot. All sorts of things came to his mind, but between all those, he could hear clear voices.

"Oh, you look so much like Glenn!", "Aww, you really are Glenn's little brother.", "Every day, you seem to grow more and more like Glenn."

Felix looked down, both in anger and sadness, because he hated everything about being compared to his brother. He shook his head and started tying up his blouse when he heard a knock on the door.

"Come in.", he called out.

The door opened and Ingrid walked into his room.

"Am I bothering you?", she asked in a soft voice

"No.", answered Felix

Ingrid made her way in and closed the door behind her. She took a quick glance at her friend and said to him with a smile;

"You know, loose hair looks good on you."

"What? Is it because it makes me look like Glenn?" he shot back at her, visibly annoyed.

Ingrid stood still, mouth wide open. She looked like she wanted to say something, but the words simply couldn't leave her mouth. She was clearly upset at Felix's words and he had noticed when he saw the look on her face.

"...Sorry, I-... I didn't mean to-..."

"It's alright. Besides, I'm... over it now."

"Are you really or are you just saying that?" exclaimed Felix, looking back at his reflection.

"No, I mean it.", Ingrid took a deep breath and then followed with, "... ever since the war ended, I've had a lot of time to reflect on his death. Now that I finally knew who were truly behind that tragedy and that they had paid their price, I felt like I could finally move on without any regrets."

Felix turned back to look at her, rising an eyebrow.

"To be honest... after spending a few months reflecting, I decided I wanted to follow my heart, not my destiny. I left House Galatea and became a Royal Knight to serve His Majesty."

"Hmph, don't give me that "noble knight" crap again." Felix snarked back.

"Actually, I've been thinking about that. About what that meant to me. I realized that... what I wanted wasn't to be this "perfect" and "exemplary" knight. I... wanted to join Glenn on the other side, so I thought that the best way to see it through was to be just like him. To fight and die for my kingdom, to die a "noble" death. With time, I... realized that I had warped that vision. To fulfill some romanticized fantasy of mine."

Felix stood in place, shocked to hear those words leave Ingrid's mouth.

"But I realize now that what I want the most is to help my kingdom rebuild itself and see it through to the end, to serve as Dimitri's closet ally and to follow my heart."

Felix, still shocked, tried to find something to say to her;

"I... I honestly never expected that from you. You were always so stubborn about your "ideal knight" stuff. It's all you ever thought about... but I'm glad you finally opened your eyes to do what you always wished to do."

Ingrid looked at him, and then lowered her head and took a deep breath.

"Do you remember what your father told me when he told me of Glenn's passing?"

"He died like a true knight." replied Felix, with anger and hate in his tone.

"I think his words are what pushed me to believe that it was a noble sacrifice. I remember that day... when he told me what became of him... I remember my whole body refusing to move, I was stuck in place, frozen by... all sorts of emotions. I held back the tears for so long until I excused myself and ran to my room. I cried my eyes out for hours and hours, sick to my stomach. I didn't want to believe what happened to him... so I tried to make some sense of purpose out of it. Give it some meaning..."

Felix turned his body towards her and took a step foward,

"I also remember being the one who comforted you. You wouldn't stop crying, you barely even noticed I was there. I hated the sight of seeing you so upset."

Ingrid lifted her head up again.

"And I also recall that you hugged me and told me "Don't cry, I'm here for you.", but you don't mention that part."

Felix blushed slightly and exclaimed back,

"Oh, c'mon! I was like 13, that was 10 years ago! Will you seriously never let that go?"

Ingrid chuckled and shrugged

"But seriously... thank you for everything, Felix."

She took a step foward and opened her arms. Felix rolled his eyes and hugged her.

"What did you even come here for anyway?" he asked her.

"Oh! Right. I wanted to tell you that Ashe finally arrived and that breakfast will be served soon."

"Hmph, all that talk just to tell me that? Well, I suppose it's... pleasant to finally catch up on how you're doing."

Felix grabbed a string from the desk and tied up his hair. Blushing slightly, he asked;

"Is... um... Annette here yet?"

Ingrid shook her head and said;

"No, not yet. They should be here before noon, though."

"...Right." exclaimed Felix, visibly disappointed.

The pair walked out of the guest room and walked towards the dinning room, where Sylvain, Dimitri, Dedue and Ashe all sat at a table, conversating. Felix shortly forgot that awful nightmare with his conversation with Ingrid, though it came back to him as they were walking through the castle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry if it's taking a while to get into the MEAT of things but like,, I'm a whore for the childhood friends


	4. A Welcomed Surprise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ingrid and Felix make their way to the dinning room, where some old friends await them...

Felix and Ingrid entered the dinning room, and before they could even speak a single word, Ashe jumped out of his seat to greet Felix;

"Felix! Oh, I'm so happy to see you here!"

Ashe grabbed his hand and shook it firmly, smiling cheerfully.

"I'm glad you came", Felix replied.

They both took their seats and sat down. Sylvain turned to Felix, with a grin on his face and asked, winking;

"Sooooo, what were you two doing up there? I mean, there seemed to be a hold up of som-"

"Shut up. Don't even think about it." Felix snarked at his friend

"We were just having a normal conversation between two good friends. That's all, Sylvain.", continued Ingrid.

"Riiiiiiight, like I'll believe that."

Everyone sighed at Sylvain's words and ignored what had just came out of his mouth.

Dimitri cleared his throat before announcing;

"A letter came in yesterday. It was from Mercedes and Annette."

Felix's eyes widened as soon as he heard the King's words.

"They said that they would be here a bit later than expected. Mercedes explained that they ran into a few problems on their way here, but that they could still make it regardless."

"Are they alright?" Felix asked, on the edge of his seat.

Dimitri was taken back a bit by Felix's sudden concern, but answered a few seconds later;

"They should be, yes."

"We sent some of our most trusted knights to make sure they make it to Fhirdiad safely.", confirmed Dedue.

"Well, that's a relief!" exclaimed Ashe

Just a few seconds later, the Royal Breakfast Feast was served. The old classmates all dug in and ate to their heart's content. Smiles and laughs were exchanged, the conversation was lively and everyone seemed well.

About an hour flew by after they were done and Dimitri stood up, saying;

"I'm afraid I won't be staying much longer. There still needs to be some last adjustments for the ceremony. I apologize for having to leave so suddenly."

"Peace, your Majesty. Your duty is more important that talking about nothing with us.", exclaimed Sylvain.

"I'm afraid I'll so be joining his Majesty. Please excuse me."

Dedue stood up and bowed to the Nobles, before following Dimitri.

Ashe turned to Ingrid and, eyes filled with joy, asked her;

"Ingrid, can you show me that book you were talking about? You know, the one with the King of Dragons."

"Of course, Ashe. We have plenty of time, his Majesty won't be coming back for some time."

Both of them stood up and greeted their friends before leaving for the library.

Sylvain turned to Felix and asked;

"Alright, spill the beans. Who is it?"

Felix, shocked at Sylvain's question, couldn't properly answer him;

"H-huh? What are you on about, you fool?"

"Pfft, don't play dumb with me. I can tell someone's on your mind. You've been spacing out a lot more than usual, Felix."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Felix replied, crossing his legs.

"See? Now you're just peaking my curiosity even more. Alright, alright. I'll try and guess who it is."

Felix grunted, visibly annoyed at Sylvain's proposal.

"Hmmmm... Ingrid? Nah, that can't be. She's definitively not your type. Is it some girl you met back in Fraldarius territory?"

"Why would I go and "meet girls"?"

"Fair enough...", answered Sylvain, scratching his head.

"I'm telling you, it's nothing. I've just been more busy lately." sighed Felix, attempting to dodge the subject.

"Let me think... you were really concerned when Dimitri mentioned... Mercedes! Is it Mercedes? Because she is one lovely, beauti-"

"No."

"Damn, that quickly shut down? Alright, then, hmm... who else? ...Annette? I mean, you always seemed to get along well with her."

Felix blushed ever so slightly and stood up, then started walking towards the door.

"W-wait! C'mon, Felix! I'm just teasing you! H-hey! Wait up!"

Sylvain followed behind Felix, trying to catch up to him.

He finally managed to catch up with Felix, asking him;

"Do you really have to brush me off like that? You know I can help you if you're interested in a girl, right?"

"Considering your track record with dating, I'd rather not." Felix snarked back at him

"Ouch."

"What? I'm not wrong. You never settle down for anyone."

"Welllll... about that, I've had my eyes on someone for some time now. I think I actually like her."

Felix stood still for a second, processing what Sylvain had just said.

"You're joking, right?"

"What? No! I'm not that hopeless."

Felix raised his eyebrow after hearing his friend's claim.

"No, but seriously. She sees something in me more than just money or nobility or a Crest. Not a single girl ever thought of me like that."

"Hmm... well, let's see. Maybe if you actually tried to get to know them instead of jumping from one girl to another, you'd have a few on the list."

"You really are too harsh on me, you know that, right?"

"Hmph."

Felix marched on ahead, seemingly nowhere. Sylvain followed him once again.

"A-alright, I get it. No girl talk."

Felix stopped in his tracks and sighed.

"You're the biggest fool I've ever met. ...Not like I'd want it any other way."

Sylvain smiled and punched Felix on the shoulder.

"There's your soft side."

"Don't test me, Sylvain.", lamented Felix.

Sylvain laughed and brushed his hair backwards.

"C'mon, let's go train a bit. For old time's sake."

"Heh, can't say no to that."

The duo walked towards the Knights' Training Grounds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is not Sylvix propaganda


	5. Her

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felix cannot focus on his training, all while Sylvain tries to understand just what is going on with his lifelong friend...

Felix and Sylvain exchanged blows, trying to outmatch each other every time. Even if it has been over a year since they've been in a real battle, they still had not lost their edge. Felix, who usually wins by a long mile, was struggling this time. His mind kept drifting between the fight and her again. Just why does he think so much about her, he kept asking himself. No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't say why exactly she was always on his mind.

Felix reflected one of Sylvain's strikes, knocking him back. The young Duke positioned himself, waiting for the Margrave's counterstrike, but for whatever reason, he still could not focus properly. Sylvain made a swift strike again, which snapped Felix out of his daydreaming and caused him to act entirely on reflexes. He gasped and quickly parried Sylvain's attack, as if it was a real fight and his life was on the line, causing the sword to fly out of his friend's hand and for him to fall on the ground.

"Wow, easy there, Felix! You could've cut my head clean off with that one." remarked Sylvain, trying to keep his composure.

"Sorry."

Felix put away his sword and handed out his hand to Sylvain. He grabbed it firmly and pulled himself up, while picking up his sword.

"I see you didn't lose your edge at all, haha!"

"I guess not."

Sylvain raised his hands up and exclaimed;

"I'm beat. Wanna go have some tea, just you and me?"

Felix gave him a cold look and started walking away again.

"Seriously? I'm just teasing you, stop doing that."

Felix sighed and turned around to ask his companion;

"Do you ever just... keep having the same images in your head, over and over? With the same thoughts? Same voices?"

Sylvain, confused by his friend's sudden confession, asks;

"H-huh? What do you mean?"

Felix closed his eyes and took a deep breath;

"Whenever I close my eyes, I tend to see the same things... usually, it's the battlefields we fought in, with our allies..."

Sylvain put his hand on Felix's shoulder and followed with;

"Yeah, war nightmares. I get those a lot too. Heh, I mean, they only stopped a month or two ago. Every night, I'd fall asleep and have awful nightmares of... all of you. Dying. I was always so powerless to do anything..."

Felix looked down and opened his mouth, he was seemingly about to say something, but stopped himself. He wanted to tell his closest friend about his dreams of Annette, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Sylvain spoke up again;

"But... I'm glad this awful war is over. I could've done without it, honestly. I'm just happy we made it through after all."

Felix looked up at Sylvain, trying to hide his slight smile;

"Yeah... I won't lie, I get pretty bored without life threatening battles happening at every second, but I comfort myself by thinking that no one else has to die."

The pair shared and understanding look, as if they knew exactly what they both went through. Felix felt so much better after finally letting that little much out and he could tell Sylvain did too.

Sylvain broke off the silence by saying;

"We should probably go back. Dimitri will probably be done in a bit. Getting Ingrid and Ashe out of their books is gonna be a chore and a half, so we best get to it now."

He walked towards the door and held it open.

"Yeah... you're right.", nodded Felix, walking through the door.

They didn't speak much while walking towards the library, not because they were out of topics to discuss, but more like they were reflecting on their conversation. Felix, still troubled by his awful nightmare, couldn't try to shake it out of his mind.

"Why is it affecting me this badly? Why her? Why can't I get my mind off of her already?", he thought. He was visibly troubled, but before Sylvain could ask him anything, they were both drawn towards the sound of footsteps from somewhere.

The sound seemed to come from the hall ahead of them, behind that huge door. Both listened to the voices they could hear. They seemed... familiar. They couldn't make out their conversation, but they were convinced they knew who was behind that door. The childhood friends glanced at each other, confirming that they both wish to know who's there, so they walked towards the door and pushed it open. There, at the end of the hall, they could see two figures. Two... awfully familiar figures. The pair had also noticed them. Sylvain and Felix both started walking towards the distant pair.

The closer they got, the more and more they could make out their voices as well as their faces. No doubt in their mind, it was Mercedes and Annette. Right as they figured out who they were, both of them waved at them and walked faster towards the boys.

They met at the halfway point, and quickly greeted each other;

"Sylvain! Felix! Oh, it's so nice to see you two after so long." exclaimed Mercedes, visibly happy to see her friends.

"Oh, Mercedes. How I missed your everlasting beauty. I'm glad to see you both made it safely, Dimitri told us about your trip here." added Sylvain, seemingly worried.

"Oh, yes. We only ran into a few bandits here and there, nothing too dramatic. The knights were very helpful. Speaking of which, we should go and report back to Dimitri about our arrival."

"I second that." approved Sylvain, turning around to head towards the Conference Room.

Felix and Annette looked at each other and their eyes met briefly again, but Felix mustered up the courage to speak first;

"Hey."

"It's been a while, huh?" replied Annette, smiling softly.

Their eyes met again and, this time, they couldn't look away. Both blushed slightly, but it still didn't stop them.

"Annie! Felix! Are you two coming?", called out Mercedes.

Her words made them snap out of it and the two of them, embarrassed, looked away and followed behind Mercedes and Sylvain.

Mercedes giggled as she and Sylvain waited for the pair, amused at the fact that she caught them yet again. Sylvain, intrigued, asked her;

"What's so amusing?"

"Oh, nothing too important. Annie is just adorable when she's like this.", she replied.

Felix and Annette caught up to their two other friends, still embarrassed. They took their leave once more and Sylvain turned to Felix, winking at him, before looking straight ahead again. Felix frowned, very annoyed at his friend's gesture. He hated being teased when he was embarrassed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Felix is not great at starting a conversation and you cannot convince me otherwise


	6. Conflict

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Blue Lions' big class reunion is finally here, but does it go as planned?

Felix's heart was skipping beats. He could feel it pound in his chest. He tried his best to avoid looking at Annette again, in fear that Sylvain might say something. He wanted to speak with her so badly, to know how she's been doing, to know more about her and her interests, anything that could make them spend time together. Sylvain and Mercedes were conversating, but his own thoughts blocked out their conversation. Well, he was doing that up until Sylvain mentioned his name, which broke Felix out of his trance.

"What do you think, Felix?"

"I wasn't paying attention.", he replied, hoping that he would be let off the hook.

"Sylvain proposed that we should go into town tonight. Do you want to come?"

Felix turned to Mercedes and hesitated to answer. He wasn't sure if he wanted to, because he knows Sylvain well enough to know it's going to end up in another "girl quest".

"I don't think I'll go.", Annette answered, much to everyone's surprise.

"Why not, Annie?", Mercedes asked, seemingly upset.

Annette shrugged and followed with;

"I'm just not up for it."

Sylvain turned to Felix and opened his mouth, as if he was about to ask him next, but before he could say anything, someone else spoke up;

"Apologies for taking so long. I had more preparations left than I had suspected."

The group turned around to see Dimitri walk towards them. " _That's right, we were going to go check up on Dimitri._ ", Felix thought.

Sylvain, Mercedes and Annette greeted him, but Felix, completely lost in thought, stood still. He couldn't possibly imagine why he thought so much of her. He was starting to grow irritated at his own lack of knowledge. At this point he had completely forgotten others were present and his irritation slowly turned into anger.

"Ar-...o-..ell-"

Felix heard a voice talk to him. He lifted up his head and tried to focus on whoever was addressing him.

"Felix, are you well?"

He could clearly hear Dedue speak to him this time. He took a few seconds to register his question and answered;

"Sorry, I was just lost in thought."

"Again?", remarked Sylvain

"It's not like you to daydream so much, Felix. Is there something bothering you?"

Felix hesitated to answer, but the words flew out of his mouth.

"No, I'm fine."

His friends turned to each other with a concerned look. Mercedes turned to him and placed the back of her hand on his forehead.

"Hmm... no fever.", she said, visibly worried

"What? I'm not sick, I'm just thinking. Is that a problem or something?" Felix snarked back, still irritated over his questions.

"Not at all..." Mercedes took off her hand and took a step back.

There was a moment of silence, but it was quickly cut off by Ingrid and Ashe's footsteps and voices echoing through the halls. They were walking towards the group, calling out to them cheerfully. The mood was still rather poor and yet...

Annette took a step forward and waved at them, calling back at them. Felix watched her and smiled ever so slightly at her attempt to cheer everyone else. Dimitri caught eye of his friend and nodded, chuckling. All rejoiced and spirits seemed to have been uplifted.

"This is some kind of class reunion, huh?" Ashe expressed, followed by a cheerful laugh.

"Yep! It's been 6 years since we went to class together and we're all still here.", Annette playfully remarked.

"Hey, how about we have the lovely reunion conversation over tea?", Sylvain asked

Everyone agreed and all walked towards the Royal Garden once more.

Hours flew by as the conversation grew more and more lively. Everyone seemed to be having so much fun, even Felix, to some extent. Though, no matter how much he tried to avoid looking at Annette, he couldn't help himself. He took a few quick glares to see her bright smile, blushing ever so slightly every time. He almost forgot about everything that has been bothering him during their shared moment.

Eventually, the conversation fell back on their days at the Academy. They laughed as they reminded each other of what they had done, good and bad.

"Remember when Annette set fire to the kitchen?", Ashe asked

"Yeah, good thing Dedue was there or else we would've eaten dirt for a while.", Sylvain followed.

"Oh, c'mon! That happened once. 6 years ago. I learned how to not set the kitchen on fire since then!", Annette replied, flustered.

Everyone laughed in unison, even if the situation, at the time, was quite dire.

"Dimitri, do you still remember that one time we waited outside of Sylvain's dorm room to catch him in the act?", Ingrid asked the King

"Oh, goodness, yes. The look on his face was priceless!", Dimitri answered, laughing even harder.

"She was really cute too. I still can't believe you two did that."

More and more laughs were shared as time went on. Though the conversations were fun, they eventually led up to a more serious topic.

"How have things been? With putting Fódlan back on its feet, I mean.", Ashe asked Dimitri.

"I won't lie and say it's been easy. Quite the opposite, actually. Who knew being a King was so much work?", Dimitri had an almost sarcastic laugh. "But with the help of The Profe- Archbishop Byleth, it's been easier."

"I still can't believe he couldn't make it.", Annette continued, with a frown on her face.

"Yes, it is a shame. Though, I am certain he would be proud.", followed Dedue.

"Oh, I know! Maybe we should pay him a visit after the ceremony.", exclaimed Mercedes.

"I'm afraid I cannot afford to leave the capital yet.", Dimitri replied.

The old classmates all looked troubled at their impasse and the dark of the night was starting to set in. They decided to call it a night and wished each other well before heading to their guest rooms. Felix, on the other hand, had different plans. He, instead, headed for the library. He wants to know what was wrong with him and he knew just where he could find the answer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be completely honest, the only reason why Byleth isn't here (apart from it making some sense) is that I could not, for the life of me, figure out how to write him. Hurray for silent protagonists.


	7. Realization

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felix, having enough of being confused on just what he's feeling, goes to the library for answers. There, he finds exactly what he needs.

Felix entered the library and to his relief, no one was here. He began cycling through the bookcases, looking for what he wanted. He pulled out all sorts of books- about health and illnesses, the significance of dreams and nightmares, how your body reacts to certain emotions, etc. He pilled a bunch of them on a table and took a seat, pulling out the first one. Skimming through the pages, he found nothing of value and tossed it aside. He pulled out a second book and tried yet again, but nothing came up. He did this for about another dozen books, getting more and more irritated each time, until he threw his hands up and yelled "I give up!"

Felix crossed his arms and tried to think;

"What would Glenn do in a situation like this?"

He shook his head and told himself, out loud;

"The dead are the dead, Felix. They don't think, they're just gone."

He sighed and opened another book, skimming through it again, he read the words "heart" and "abnormal". He immediately started reading the whole page from there, but it spoke of abnormal heart beats due to medical conditions. It was similar to his experience, but not close enough. He threw that book aside as well and opened another one. It was a book about knighthood and chivalry.

"How the hell did that get mixed up in here?", he told himself, grunting. He tossed the book away without hesitation.

The next book spoke of "reactions and responses to emotional situations". Felix shrugged and thought of tossing it away as well, but decided to give it a shot. For the most part, the book had no information he needed, except for this specific section. It mentioned something about "thinking of the same person" and his attention was drawn to it quickly. He read quickly through it and right as he thought he was getting close to the answer, he heard a knock on the library door. The young Duke lifted up his head in the direction of the door, but continued reading right after. He heard someone come in, but he thought nothing of it, since he thought it was probably only a maid coming to clean up the place.

A soft voice called out to him, though. A very, very, very familiar voice.

"Felix?", it asked.

He looked up and, to his surprised, Annette was standing near the now closed door. His heart started pounding again and he simply just looked at her until she spoke up again.

"I, um.. came to check up on you. You didn't seem quite well today, so I wanted to make sure everything was fine.", she said, with a forced smile, before adding; "I, uh... went to the room you're staying in and knocked, but you didn't answer. A knight told me he saw you come in here, so, well... you know the rest."

Felix tried to keep his calm and composure, but he knew that Annette could see right through it- why else would she be here then?

"I'm alright. I've just been tired lately."

Annette took a step forward and said;

"I know that's not true. I can tell you're avoiding me. I know that's pretty Felix-like, but... well, I just want to know if I did something wrong."

"No, you didn't do anything.", he said, as he still tried to keep his composure, now feeling remorseful over how he's made Annette upset.

"Are you sure? You've been, well, strange. Sylvain told me you've been like this ever since you got here and it only got worse today."

"Did he? Hmph, sounds to me like he's looking for problems to point out.", Felix answered, dodging the question.

There was a moment of silence before Annette took a deep breath and asked;

"So what are you doing here? I didn't know you liked reading. Last time, you were the one who surprised me in a library."

"Just researching."

"Researching? Do you need any help?" Annette asked, coming closer to him.

"No, I was just about done anyway.", Felix lied.

He felt... strange. He enjoyed being alone with Annette and yet, he was uneasy. He felt like there was some sort of tension in the air and he hated it. Every step closer she took, his heart pounded faster and louder.

"Felix?"

"Yeah?"

Annette stopped in her tracks, right infront of the table he was sitting at. She forced a smile yet again and said;

"I'm... happy to see you again."

Felix blushed slightly, this time internally panicking and answered;

"Yeah, so am I."

The conversation stopped. Everything was quiet.

After what seemed like awfully long minutes, Felix stood up and said;

"I'm gonna go to bed.", and then proceeded to quickly walk towards the door.

Annette turned to him as he was opening the door and said;

"Goodnight."

Felix stopped and said back;

"Goodnight... Annette.", before walking out and closing the door behind him.

Annette, curious, sat at the chair Felix used and checked out all the books he had taken. She was amused and yet concerned. Now she knew that he was hiding something- maybe he was sick with something?

She looked around and saw the open book Felix left before leaving. She read it where it was left open and, much to her surprise, it was about... feelings. She giggled and closed the book, deciding she was going to put them all back in place.

Felix walked around in the halls to his room, trying to calm himself from what had just occurred. He thought of all the things he could've told her, now that they were alone, but he wasn't able to. Why wasn't he able? Usually, words fly right out of his mouth. He thought of what he had read, but it made no sense to him. Once in his room, he sat on his bed, while getting undressed and thought; " _What does any of this mean?!_ ". He stopped and thought deeply, and then this one word came to his mind; love. Was he... in love with Annette? He thought of what it was to be in love, how Glenn described his feelings for Ingrid, all those years ago and he came at a sudden realization. He was in love. He stopped all and any train of thought and simply said; " _Oh._ " to himself. Felix couldn't possibly shake it out of his head. He kept repeating those words to himself; "I'm... in love?", until he passed out from exhaustion, still half dressed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't help myself with that last part. I'm sorry, it's just perfect.


	8. The Duke and The King

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felix and Dimitri, with their newly inherited titles, walk in the steps of their fathers, to a brighter future...

Felix woke up in the morning, on the floor. It took him a second to realize he wasn't lying in bed or that he was still half dressed. He sat up and scratched his head, thinking out loud;

"How the hell did I end up on the floor?"

He sighed and stood up, and simply changed of clothes. He then sat down at a chair, at his desk and thought of, deeply, what had occurred last night. He was alone in the library with Annette. He sighed yet again, in annoyance, thinking about how he flocked his only chance at talking with her all alone. He laid his back against the chair and looked up at the ceiling, now talking to himself;

"What does it even mean to be in love? How should I even tell her? ... What if she doesn't feel the same?"

He sat back in his inital position and grunted.

"I have too much work back home anyway. I have to put back that damn territory together thanks to my failure of an old man. I can't really afford to think about things like "love"."

He stood up, still annoyed, and put the chair back in its place. He thought of everything he had to deal with these past few months. War had crippled Fodlan, tainted Fhirdiad in blood, soaked it's fighters red, destroyed families. Fraldarius wasn't looking too bright either- Felix's uncle didn't necessarily lead the territory all that well during his and his father's absence for the war. The town was still rebuilding itself from the constant Imperial attacks that had taken place during those 5 years.

But he was in Fhirdiad for now. He could finally run from his duties, even if it was shortly. The best part is that he got to see how all of his friends were doing. No matter how much he had wished to run from it all, he didn't have a choice BUT to fix everything. No one else could do it if it weren't for him. Besides, Dimitri would need all the help he could get.

Felix opened the door and made his way to the Hall, where Ingrid and Sylvain had already reunited. He stood at the top of the stairs to listen in on their conversation, out of pure curiosity.

"How did your father take it? Leaving Galatea, I mean."

"Not very well", Ingrid sighed and continued, "The title of heir fell back on my eldest brother. My father was... more than upset at that."

"Do you regret coming here?"

"Not at all. This is where I want to be. I want to help rebuild Faergus. I want to help Dimitri every step of the way."

Felix made his way down the stairs and glared at his friends;

"Cute."

Ingrid and Sylvain turned to see Felix coming ever so closer to them.

"Were you listening to us?" Ingrid shot at him, visibly annoyed.

"Hey, not my fault you two were having a conversation out in the open." Felix replied, shrugging

There was no tension, surprisingly. Ingrid's stance took a backstep mere seconds later. She was only irritated that Felix didn't simply announce his presence, but she ultimately didn't really mind. Sylvain cleared his throat and said, in a joyful tone;

"Hey, today's the big day, huh?"

"I... had completely forgotten about that." Felix exclaimed, a little embarrassed.

"Geez, you spend all that time thinking but you couldn't even remember that?"

"Knock it off."

Sylvain laughed, while Ingrid shook her head at their bickering again. Felix glanced over his shoulders and saw Mercedes and Annette walk towards them. He looked back at his childhood friends to see Dimitri, Ashe and Dedue walk behind them in their direction. A few moments later, all had rejoined. A usual, yet comforting conversation had started. It was similar to their greetings back at the Academy in the morning.

Dimitri tapped Felix on the shoulder and asked;

"Would you mind following me? There's something I'd like to show you before the Ceremony starts."

Felix nodded and affirmed;

"Sure."

The pair excused themselves and walked towards Dimitri's room. Felix's eyes wondered around the familiar halls, nostalgia rushing back at him. He looked outside a window to the Royal Knight's Training Quarters.

"Heh, that's where we first fought, wasn't it?" Dimitri said, with a soft smile, turning to the window, hand on his friend's shoulder.

"Yeah, it's also the same time you cut a sword clean in half."

The two friends looked back on the ground, remembering how so much more simple those days were and continued on their way.

"Do you remember all the times we ran around endlessly in these very same halls, Felix?"

"Of course, and Ingrid would always scold us because you always broke something fragile and expensive."

"Come now, you know I never did it on purpose."

The lifelong friends talked about their shared childhood memories on their slow way to Dimitri's room. No matter how bittersweet those times were, Felix still held on to them preciously, even if he didn't admit it.

Once in the King's room, Dimitri retrieved an old painting. He handled it very gently, by fear of breaking it. He cleared the dust off of it;

"This is our fathers after they graduated from the Academy. They had this painting done in celebration of it."

Felix eyed it for some time, but quickly realized how much his father looked like Glenn in his younger years. King Lambert, on the other hand, looked exactly like Dimitri.

"Huh, look at that. You're exactly like your father."

"So I'm told", Dimitri replied, "I wanted to know if you'd like to have the same painting done. In celebration of the end of the war we fought together, even though we didn't quite graduate from the Academy."

"Alright", Felix nodded, "but how about we make it our entire class? We weren't the only ones fighting."

Dimitri nodded, agreeing to his companion's suggestion.

"I should go back and get ready for the Ceremony. It is starting in a few hours, after all."

Felix walked back to the guest room he had been staying in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My headcanon is that after the war, they finally put aside their differences and worked and strive together as friends until the bitter end. Fite me


	9. Confession..?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felix finally decides it's time to tell the truth to Annette, but something unexpected happens..

Felix closed the door behind him, heart heavy. He sat down on his bed and held his head in his hands, sighing loudly. He tried to gather his thoughts- how he would tell Annette how he feels. His arms fell back on his thighs and he held his hands together as he slowly looked up to his reflection. He grunted as he saw his reflection. He looked tired.

He stood up and slowly undressed himself, making his way to an already filled up bathtub. A servant of House Blaiddyd quickly walked out before Felix was completely in sight, he shook his head as he saw her walk away.

"How do they always know?", he complained.

He dove into the warm, relaxing bath and tried to clear his mind. Now that it was clear that he had feelings for her, even if he still couldn't believe it, he had to know how to tell her. This might very well be his only chance in months, if not years, to tell her. He thought that maybe before the Ceremony would be the best time, considering he doesn't know if he'll get the chance afterwards.

After staying for what seemed like an eternity in the warm, now lukewarm water, he decided to get out of it. Towel wrapped around his hips, he made his way back to his bed, where he had left his clothes for the Ceremony. It wasn't something too fancy, just something to honor the new legacy he would leave to House Fraldarius, as the only successor to it. It was pretty much what you would expect a High Class Noble to wear; dark, deep blues contrasted with gold and silver, as well as a cape that covered his left shoulder with the Fraldarius Crest on it. He was proudly wearing the armor Dimitri had gifted him a few months prior, with a small Crest of Blaiddyd carved on the exposed shoulder pad.

He stood infront of the mirror as he grabbed his Relic, Aegis, and held it with determination in his eyes. His trusted shield brought him so many memories, but Felix decided against remembering them for the time being- he had to go see Annette now.

He rushed out of his room towards hers, trying to look natural to avoid raising suspicions. The Ceremony would start in about an hour, he had no time to waste. He walked quickly through the halls of the Castle and finally made it infront of her door. He held his hand up, about to knock, when he felt sudden tension in his heart. His whole body was aching and he had butterflies in his stomach. He hardly swallowed his saliva and in a dim effort, he knocked on the door, biting his lips. Annette immediately called out to the knock;

"Come in!"

Felix opened the door as soon as he heard her voice allowing him in, only to find the quite amusing situation ongoing. Annette and Mercedes were standing up next to Ingrid, preparing her for the Ceremony. Confusion was seen in Ingrid's face, while Annette and Mercedes were laughing and happily partaking in their activity.

"Oh, hello, Felix. What brings you here?", Ingrid exclaimed

Felix wasn't expecting anyone else to be here, he had no excuse. He tried to muster up the courage to make something up.

"I, uh...", he couldn't find the words. He couldn't think of anything at all.

Annette, ignoring his lack of reasoning, replied;

"I wasn't expecting you to show up", she giggled, "though, it's a welcomed surprise."

Felix smiled ever so slightly and laid against the doorframe, looking at Annette tenderly. He took a minute to see how well dressed she was, how beautiful her hair was, how her makeup was done. He quickly broke out of it, though, as Ingrid stood up, with Mercedes's voice echoing through his head.

"All done! My, you're as beautiful as a blooming flower, Ingrid."

The pair continued their conversation from there, but he paid no mind to it. Annette looked at him and said;

"Awnn, Felix! Fix your bun, will you?"

She walked towards him and stood on the tip of her toes, reaching out to his hair. Felix bent down a little bit and Annette ran her soft fingers through his hair, reforming his bun into a more suitable one. He felt at ease, for just this very short moment. She took a step back and glared at his face for a few seconds, then puckered her lips to the side and crossed her arms.

"What?", he asked

Annette lifted up her hands and ran her fingers through his bangs, placing them a tad more to the side, rearranging them as well.

"You really need to take better care of your hair, Felix.", she sighed, all while trying her best to make something out of his rebellious hair. She took a step back yet again, "All done!", she exclaimed, all while smiling.

Mercedes and Ingrid walked towards them and Mercedes addressed them first;

"We should get going. The Ceremony will start in a bit.", the pair left the room. Behind, Annette followed, but before she could leave the room, Felix held her wrist and pulled her back gently. The short ginger haired girl turned to him with a confused look and asked;

"Felix?"

He let go on her and took a step closer. He knew now wasn't the moment to confess, so he had to quickly change plans. He didn't have long before she would start worrying, he had to quickly think of something.

"Um... meet me at the 4th floor balcony tonight. I need to talk to you. Alone.", he told her, almost regretting ever holding her back, in fear of her response.

"Alright... the one with the view on the city, right?", she asked back, now less confused and more reassured.

"Yeah...", Felix quickly left before she could even reply to him. He didn't want her to see that he was upset. He wished he could have done it right there and then, but he couldn't.

Annette followed closely behind him as they walked towards their old classmates, who were waiting for them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Felix cannot contain himself from seeing Annette all prettied up. That's the only thing I had in mind after reading this myself.


	10. Ceremony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The long awaited Ceremony finally arrives, but Felix is only looking forward to what happens next...

elix and Annette rejoined their friends, but before they could even speak a word to excuse their delay, Dimitri greeted them;

"Ah, right on time. We were just about to leave for the start of the Ceremony."

Mere seconds later, Royal Guards escorted them to the Throne Room, where everything had been organized for this very moment. Dimitri sat on his throne, as his companions stood on the stairs leading up to it. The guards let in the people of Fhirdiad, and in a few minutes the entire room was full. People were cheering and thanking their heroes, all were hopeful and lively. Bells outside could be heard, which shut the crowd. A few seconds later, the bells stopped and Dimitri stood up.

"Today, we commemorate all those who have lost their lives fighting for the freedom of Faerghus. For those who stood up and defended their country. For everyone who resisted the Empire's attempt at eradicating us. For those who stand before you, those who have lived through this tragedy to make the world a better place. Today is the day we pay respect and honor to those who have died for us!"

The crowd cheered to Dimitri's words, applauding and supporting him. Dimitri lifted his hand and the citizens stopped. He continued with;

"Before we continue, I'd like to thank my valuable allies and friends, who helped me every step of the way.", one of the guards approached Dimitri with a cushion and on it, 7 medals were laid down. He grabbed the first one and took a step forward.

"Margrave Sylvain Jose Gautier, my lifelong friend and irreplaceable ally." Sylvain walked towards Dimitri and stood proudly infront of his friend, as he clipped on the medal to his friend's attire. Sylvain stood next to Dimitri, as his friend called out the next classmate.

"Duke Felix Hugo Fraldarius, my closest friend as well as my most trusted ally." Felix followed through the usual formalities and stood next to Sylvain, letting the next person walk towards him. For only a few moments, he stopped paying attention, up until Ingrid found herself standing next to him and nudged him to pay more attention.

"And lastly, Sir Dedue Molinaro, were it not for his utmost dedication and care, I would not be standing here at this very moment." Dedue walked towards Dimitri with a smile full of pride and joy and he was gifted his medal. Even if Dedue didn't think he deserved to stand infront of the people of Faerghus, he was happy to be there.

A few minutes later, the Guards escorted them into the streets of the city, where all regrouped and marched through Fhirdiad. Flowers, belongings and anything that was traditionally given in honor of the dead were regrouped as they made their way to the cemetery, to gift the deceased of something.

The Ceremony went on for hours and once it had ended, the Blue Lions regrouped to the castle, where the continued their celebration over a Royal Feast. Though the occasion was both a sad and a happy one, that didn't stop any of them from having fun, no matter what.

Their celebration ended late, as night had already fallen. Most of their classmates made their way to their rooms, but Felix had somewhere to go. He felt his heart beat as he walked up those stairs towards that balcony. He was nervous, but at the same time relieved that he would finally get to tell her how he feels. He almost felt like running, to tell her sooner, but he knew that they were in no rush this time.

Felix walked slower as he approached the balcony, where he saw Annette facing the city, the moonlight reflecting against her. He took a few steps forward and swallowed his saliva, trying to brush off any doubt or uneasiness.

"Annette.", he called out, making his way closer to her.

She turned around and smiled softly at him;

"The city looks really pretty under the moonlight, don't you think?"

The young Duke's eyes lit up as he saw her face him, with the moon reflecting her. It was like an arrow had struck his heart. He was unable to say anything or even react to her words, he was completely paralyzed by her sight.

She giggled and continued with;

"What what did you want to talk about?"

Felix tried speaking words, but nothing came out. After a few more attempts, he stopped himself and tried to regain his composure. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, trying to remember what he had repeated in his mind over and over. What he intended to tell her.

"There's something important I need to tell you.", he finally blurred out.

Annette looked intrigued, but let him continue instead of asking what it was.

Felix took a step closer and sighed, out of annoyance towards himself. He tried to reach for her hands, to hold them tightly while telling her everything, but he feared her reaction. He instead kept a comforting distance between them.

"I'm... just gonna come out and say it outright.", he looked directly into her eyes before adding, "I love you, Annette. I've had feelings for you for... God knows how long, and I'm an idiot for not realizing so sooner. It's fine if you don't feel the same way, I didn't expect you to. I just... needed to tell you."

Felix looked away, not in shame, but in embarrassment. His cheeks were pure red. He dreaded her response, out of fear she wouldn't feel the same and yet, he couldn't help but blush.

"Felix...", Annette finally said softly. She lifted her hand to his cheek and gently raised his head back up to face her, "I...", she was blushing just as much as him and seemed to be at a lost for words, "in truth, I've... had feelings for you too. I was so happy to know I would finally get to see you again! I... I kept rushing Mercedes to get here sooner so that I could spend more time with you, b-but...", she looked down, in attempt to hide her newly formed tears, "when you... started avoiding me, I was so hurt and scared that you didn't want to see me that... I feared ever telling you how I felt."

Felix's eyes opened up and a rush of happiness and sadness came to him like he had never experienced before.

"N-no, please don't cry.", he took his hand to her chin and lifted her head up, "I didn't mean to-... I'm sorry, Annette."

She tried her best to smile and took a step closer to him, "It's alright now. We're here together and that's all I could ever ask for." Their eyes met as soon as those words left her mouth and they shared a tender, soft moment.

The pair came closer together, still looking in each other's eyes. Their hands moved from their original position, Annette now having her hands holding on to Felix's chest, and Felix holding on to Annette's waist. Their foreheads met each other and soon after, their lips did too. They soflty touched, and as they came closer to each other, so did their lips. They slowly locked on to each other, as Annette's hands softly made their way to Felix's neck. In response, Felix pushed Annette closer to him with his right hand, wrapped around her waist, and moved his left to the back of her head.

They shared their kiss for a few more minutes, before breaking it off.

Annette looked up to Felix's eyes and softly asked;

"So what now?"

"This usually would be the part where I ask you to marry me, but... I don't have a ring to offer you."

She giggled and continued;

"Does it really matter?"

"Not... really", Felix sighed, "but you deserve it." He stopped and thought of a solution, one where they were both happy and that was realistic.

"You could... always come back with me in Fraldarius territory. I'm sure there's a ring somewhere in there. I know you probably have important business in Dominic territory, but...", he bit his lip before continuing, "... I... don't want to be away from you. Not again. I'm terrible at writing letters and-"

"Of course I'll go with you! I would give anything to be with you, Felix."

He stopped trying to format any kind of sentence. He looked back at her with a shocked face, as he tried processing what she had just said.

Moments later, he finally came back to his senses. In a swift, effortless attempt, he picked up Annette in his arms and lifted her up.

"In that case, I'll make you the happiest woman in all of Fódlan."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly had no clue how to write this Ceremony and to be completely honest, I only felt like I had to include it because I alluded to it a lot. Kinda backed myself up into a corner, I might revisit this chapter later on.


	11. Love Without Restraints

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Annette and Felix make it back together to Fraldarius territory, where they can finally be together until the very end.

The next two days passed by rather quickly. Dinners and celebrations were in numbers, but Felix and Annette stayed together the entire time. During the day, they would stay near each other at all time, and at night, they would talk endlessly under the moonlight.

The morning of their departure, they bid farewell to their friends. The moment was very bittersweet, but they knew that they would all see each other sooner or later once more. Annette, having to explain to Mercedes why she was leaving with Felix, was trying her best to hide their true intentions until she could officially announce to her that she was getting married.

"Mercie, I know this sounds weird, but... I'm going back with Felix. There's... something I need to do."

"What might that be, Annie?"

"Um... the... soldiers need someone to teach them magic."

"Wouldn't they learn that at the School of Sorcery?"

Annette was at a lost for words, she knew her excuse didn't make any sense to Mercedes, and yet, her friend nodded.

"I understand now. Please, make sure you keep writing me. I want to stay in touch.", she giggled.

"Of course, Mercie! You know I'd never stop talking to you."

The two friends continued their conversation, while Felix was watching by the door that led outside. Sylvain walked towards his friend, clearly needing to tell him one final thing. Felix turned his eyes to look in his direction and waited for him to open his mouth.

"Heyyyy, Felix! I know we already said goodbye and all that, but" Sylvain stood next to his friend and bent down a little, "don't forget to invite me to your wedding, okay?"

Felix's face turned to pure red and he quickly shifted his whole body to stand straight. He looked at Sylvain with fury in his eyes.

"What on earth are you talking about?!"

"Oh, nothing at all." Sylvain walked away, without looking back.

"Hey, wait! Sylvain!"

Felix sighed and leaned against the doorframe once again. He lifted his head up and looked to the side, watching Annette walk towards him. She had the biggest smile on her face and Felix couldn't help but to smile back at her.

Their trip back to Fraldarius was long, but they had each other. They talked all the way back to House Fraldarius and never seemed bored whatsoever. Annette held on to Felix through the trip, and he kept her safe through it all.

It took Annette a few days to get used to House Fraldarius, as she has never set foot in it. The place Felix called home was much more lively now that she was there. At first, they slept in separate rooms, only because they were still too flustered to sleep in the same bed. That is, until Annette knocked at Felix's door, in the middle of the night.

"Felix? Can I... come in?"

She sounded distressed, Felix immediately sat up and called back;

"Annette?"

She opened the door, tears in her eyes and stepped into the room. Felix's confusion quickly turned to concern.

"What's wrong, Annette? Hey, come here."

Before he could even stand up, she rushed to him and sat on his lap, resting her head against his chest.

"What's the matter?"

"I... this is going to sound really childish, but... I had a really bad dream. I was scared, I-I thought it was real. It felt so real. S-so..."

Felix rubbed her back and held her in his arms to comfort her.

"I'm sorry, I probably woke you up..."

"It's fine. What was that nightmare about?"

She held on to him as she tried to explain her dream to him.

"It was back in the war. You were rushing through the field, cutting down everyone who stood in your way. I was trying to follow after you, but... we got separated. I was overwhelmed and circled by Imperial troops. I tried screaming your name for help... and you did come back. You easily cut all of them down, but then..." she clutched on to his chest, sobbing, "then you turned your blade on me. You told me "You're nothing but a burden"... and then- and then..."

"Shhh, shhh... It's alright. I'd never hurt you- ever. You'll never be a burder to me, Annette."

Time passed as Felix comforted Annette and they eventually fell back asleep, together. The next few days passed by, untroubled and comforting. Annette was drinking tea in the garden, as Felix walked behind her to join her.

"Y'know, this is the exact same place me and my brother used to play until night fell. It's also where Ingrid accidentally gave a black eye to Sylvain while playing knight."

"Heh, done with for the day?"

"Yep, I've had enough of being copped up in that damn office all day."

Annette turned to Felix, smiling at him.

"I, uh... have something for you. Stand up."

Annette put down her cup of tea and stood up, facing him. Felix bent down on his knees and took a ring out of his pocket.

"Annette, will you marry me?"

Her eyes watered as she handed him her hand, overjoyed, she answered;

"Yes! Yes, yes, yes, yes! I've never wanted anything more!"

Felix smiled and slipped the ring on her finger. He stood back up and embraced her and the both of them shared a tender kiss.

All of their friends were informed of their engagement and all were invited to their wedding. Even the Professor. Surprisingly, all could make it. Two months after their engagement, their wedding took place. It was the happiest day of their lives.

Annette helped Felix restore Fraldarius territory to it's proper glory, as well as aiding him in his service to help Dimitri resotre Faerghus as well. She would often compose songs for him, of his tales or whatever came to her mind. The pair had three children; their heir, who bore a Minor Crest of Fraldarius, Dedrick Glenn Fraldarius; thier daughter, who bore no crest, Lauryn Eloise Fraldarius and their youngest son, who bore a Minor Crest of Dominic, Samuel Noah Fraldarius, who wound later take the name Samuel Noah Dominic and would become the next Duke of Dominic Territory. All three of them attended the Officer's Academy, where they were instructed by Byleth and the new professors.

All of them led a happy life together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kinda rushed the ending of this chapter, so I'm sorry about that. I sorta just wanted to say that they were happy together because I love them but YEAH thats kind of it. Feel free to let me know your thoughts/critics/anything really. I'd love to hear your feedback to improve myself.

**Author's Note:**

> I re-uploaded this fanfic from my fanfic.net account. It's my very first fanfic, please do not end me.


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